Management Practice Insights
DOI: 10.59571/mpi.v4i2.14
Year: 2026, Volume: 4, Issue: 2, Pages: 162-168
Original Article
Samrat Bagchii*
iS.P. Jain Institute of Management & Research
*Corresponding author
Email: [email protected]
Received Date:29 April 2026, Accepted Date:23 September 2026, Published Date:15 October 2026
Today, digital platforms have become the foundation of a digital economy. App stores, e-commerce marketplaces, ride-hailing networks, and food delivery apps, among others, bring together millions of complementors (e.g., sellers, developers, and logistics agents) and billions of users by mediating digital interactions within a multi-sided platform ecosystem. Of foundational importance to such ecosystems is the trust between the platform participants and platform owner. Any breaches of trust can not only cause disengagement among sellers and buyers but also multiply quickly within a digital ecosystem. To address this issue, by Research Annabelle Gawer and Martín Harracá investigates how inconsistent platform governance can trigger diverse practices among sellers and sometimes breach trust among platform participants.1 Conversely, platforms that invest in transparent governance, fair value sharing with complementors, and participatory rule setting tend to sustain higher levels of engagement, attract higher-quality sellers, and face fewer regulatory interventions. This essay unpacks how inconsistent governance breeds misconduct and offers a concrete set of actions for platform owners to establish stronger governance and more sustainable growth
1 Annabelle Gawer and Martín Harracá, “Inconsistent Platform Governance and Social Contagion of Misconduct in Digital Ecosystems: A Complementors Perspective,” Research Policy 54, no. 8 (2025): 105300, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2025.105300.
2 Neal Schaffer, “Creator Economy Statistics: 20 Numbers That Actually Matter in 2026,” Neal Schaffer Official Site, 25 June 2026, https://nealschaffer.com/creator-economy-statistics/; Abinaya Vijayaraghavan, “Six Months on, #Logout’s Fury Fails to Hurt Zomato, Swiggy,” The Ken, 18 February 2020, https://theken. com/story/logout-fails-to-hurt-aggregators/; Noam Scheiber, “How Uber Uses Psychological Tricks to Push Its Drivers’ Buttons,” Technology, The New York Times, 2 April 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/04/02/technology /uber-drivers-psychological-tricks.html; Mark Bergen and Mark Gurman, “Apple, Google App Store Duopoly Questioned Again as DOJ Circles,” Technology, Mint (San Francisco), 5 June 2019, https://www.livemint.com/technology/tech-news/applegoogle- app-store-duopoly-questioned-again-as-doj-circles-1559749422381.html.
3 Dharmesh Mehta, “How Amazon Uses AI Innovations to Stop Fraud and Counterfeits,” Press Release, Amazon News, 26 March 2025, https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/policy-newviews/amazon-brand-protection-report-2024-counterfeitproducts.
4 Patrick McGee, “'Fortnite’ Maker Declares War on Apple over 30% Sales Cut:? Epic Launches App Store Lawsuit? Move Follows Ejection for Flouting Rules [Europe Region],” Financial Times (London (UK)), 15 August 2020, 2442453166, p. 10, ABI/INFORM Global.
5 Jake A. Evinger, “Walled Gardens & Forbidden Apples: Software Access Amid Antimonopoly Resurgence,” Richmond Journal of Law and Technology (Richmond, Virginia) XXXI, no. 1 (2024): 1–66.
6 Reuters, “Amazon, Flipkart Breached Antitrust Laws: CCI,” Technology, The Hindu, 13 September 2024, https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/amazon-flipkart-breached-antitrust-laws-cci/article68637232.ece.
7 Aditya Kalra et al., “EXCLUSIVE: India Finds Zomato, Swiggy Food Delivery Businesses Breached Antitrust Laws, Documents Show,” India, Reuters, 8 November 2024, https://www.reuters.com/world/india/indias-probe-finds-zomato-swiggy-breached-antitrust-laws-documents-show-2024-11-08/.
8 Anik Banerjee and Sanvi Barjatya, “How Udaan Transformed B2B Trading: From Complexity to Convenience,” StartupTalky, 3 June 2025, https://startuptalky.com/udaan-success-story/.
9 Alenjith K Johny, “Ola Launches Zero Percent Commission Model across India; Drivers to Keep Entire Fare Earnings,” The Economic Times, 18 June 2025, https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/technology/olalaunches-zero-percent-commission-model-across-india-driversto-keep-entire-fareearnings/article-show/121924682.cms?from=mdr.
10 Victorine Verlooy et al., “Power Contestation and Regulation in Digital Platform Ecosystems—The Case of the EU's Digital Markets Act,” Electronic Markets 36, no. 1 (2026): 7, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-025-00858-9.
11 Victoria Caslow, “FTC Sues Amazon for Illegally Maintaining Monopoly Power,” Press Release, Federal Trade Commission, 26 September 2023, https://www.ftc.gov/newsevents/news/press-releases/2023/09/ftc-sues-amazonillegally-maintaining-monopoly-power.
12 Press Information Bureau, “Labour Reforms: Formalising and Safeguarding India’s Gig & Platform Workforce,” Press Release, Government of India, Backgrounders, 9 December 2025, https://www.pib.gov.in/Pressreleaseshare.aspx?PRID=2200767.
© 2026 Published by SPJIMR. This is an open-access article under the CC BY license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Subscribe now for latest articles and news.
